Debra Long walks in April 2023 near the tombstone of her son, Randy Long, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. An AP examination of data from 23 states shows that Black people are disproportionately denied aid from programs that reimburse victims of violent crime.
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‘It felt racist’
Black victims of violent crime disproportionately denied aid in many states
The cold formality of the letter is seared in Debra Long’s memory. It began “Dear Claimant,” and said her 24-year-old son, Randy, who was fatally shot in April 2006, was not an “innocent” victim. Without further explanation, the New York state agency that assists violent crime victims and their families refused to help pay for his funeral. Mr. Long was a father, engaged to be married and studying to become a juvenile probation officer when his life was cut short during a visit to Brooklyn with friends. His mother, angry and bewildered by the letter, wondered: What did authorities see — or fail to see — in Randy? In this April 19, 2023, photo, Debra Long of Poughkeepsie,
